Ball-grinding machine



Patented Ag. I6, |898.

No. 609,2I9.

n. H. WHITE.

BALL GRINDING MACHINE.

(Application filed July 14, 1897.)

3 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

mz Nonms nena coi Mofo-Lugo.. wAsNmsYoN, u4 c4 Patented Aug. I6, |898.

R.' H. WHITE.

BALL GBINDING MACHINE.

No. 609,2I9.

(Application Bled July 14, 1897.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Y. (N0 Modell.)

Zvw/6711327? @m i6 m No. 609,2l9.

Patented Aug. |6, |898. R. H. WHITE. I BALL GBINDING MACHINE.

(Application led July 14, 1897.)

`3v Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

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ws Nosms'pmns co. rm o., wAsmNGToN u c Umm noLLIN n. WHITE, or CLEVELAND, omo.

BALL-GRINDING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 609,219, dated August 16, 189'8. Application led .l'uly 14, l897.' Serial No. 644,498. (No model.)

T0 all whom it may concern:

ne it known that. LROLLIN I-Lwmma itizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county ofCuyahoga and State of Ohio, haveinvented certainnew and usefullrnprovementsin Ball-,Grinding Machines; i and I do herebydecla'rethefollowing,to be a: full, clear, and exact description of the in; vention, such as Vwill enableothers skilled in the art to whichlit appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its objects to grind balls into true spheres of the desired size and to provide means whereby the ground balls' maybe quickly removed and a fresh supply to be ground introduced into the machine.

The invention consists in the construction' parts hereinafter deand combination of scribed and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation, partly in section. Fig. 2 is a front viewV Fig. 3 is a plan which is bolted on the base, and a casting A2,

which is bolted to the front side ofthe base.

This is a convenient and economical con-Q struction,but the frame may be of any suitable construction. i

A vertically-movable slide C is mounted in guides on the front face of the upper frame1 member. Two horizontal arms c @which proj ject forward from said slide, furnish bearings f The cylin` for a vertical Vgrinder-shaft d. drical grinder D is secured to the lower end of this shaft in any suitable manner, and a driving-pulley d is secured to the shaft between said armsc c. f On the rear side of the slide are two horizontal arms c c', between which lies a nut h. This nut screws onto a threaded rod II, which rod passes through perforations in said arm c c'. The slide is supported by the rod II, and when the slide is in the lowest position the lower end of this rod is preferably supported upon the frame.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sec` Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional A horizontal worm-shaft B is mounted in a sleeve c2, formed upon the slide C. It engages with worm-teeth formed upon the periphery of the nut h. A hand-wheel b is secured to the shaft B, whereby it may be turned, with the result of raising or lowering the slide without moving the threaded rod. -This aordsmeans for nicely adjusting the :position of the slide, and consequently of the grinder, relative to the balls.

K represents a lever-arm which is rigidly secured to a rock-shaft It, and to this rockshaft an arm la is rigidly secured. This le- -ver-arxn is connected, by means of a link L, -with the lower end of the threaded rod H,

these two parts being pivoted together. Ob- Viouslyv by moving the lever K to the right, as shown in Fig. l, the slide O is raised. A

`counterweight NV, attached to a rope w, as-

face of the grinder D, which obviously is undesirable. Therefore the pivot between link L and threaded rod H ts loosely the holes `which receive it, and this allows the lower end of the threaded rod to rest, as before explained, upon the frame when the slide C isv lowered..

The hand-wheel b is graduated to coperate with the pointerl, which is secured to the sleeve c2. A second pointer b2 is clamped to the hand-wheel by the same nut which holds the hand wheel upon the shaft B. This pointer b2 may at the beginning of a .grinding operation be setinline `with apointer I. Thereafter it will move with the hand-wheel, and thereforeY show how far said hand-wheel has been moved from the position it originally occupied when the grinding operation began.

It is obviously necessary that the grindingface of the grinder shall always remain in a horizontal position, and itis therefore desirable to provide means for adjusting the mechanism so that this condition may be brought about and maintained at all times. The means provided consist of three wedges placed between the meeting faces of the baseAand upper frame member A, said wedges P being placed, respectively, at the sides and near the front of said meeting faces and at the rear thereof. These wedges are moved in or out by means of the bolts P, having the iianges 1r, which enter corresponding notches in the wedges.

The bed-plate a5 and the two horizontal bracket-arms a6 a7 are parts of the frame member A2. In the bed-plate a circular opening is formed, around the upper edge of whicha flat ring f, of hardened metal, is set. A hardened-metal sleeve f is fitted in said opening and is vertically movable therein. The upper edge of this sleeve, which is slightly inclined downward from its outer periphery, and the inner edge of the ringf form the raceway F, in which the balls to be ground are held. It should be here stated that this circular opening and raceway are eccentric to the axis of the grinder.

f2 represents an adjustingsleeve which is externally threaded and screws into said circular opening in the bed-plate from the lower end thereof, and the function of this sleeve is to adjust the position of the sleeve f to compensate for wear.

Sleeves g g are respectively mounted in the two arms a a7, and a shaft G is mounted in these sleeves, this shaft bein g concentric with the ball-TraceWay, and consequentlyeccentric with the `grinder. The revolver J is secured to theupper end of this shaft. Its form is that of an inverted truncated cone-that is to say, its periphery is beveled from the top inward, as shown-v-and its functions are to hold the balls in the raceway while they are being ground and to move them around thereinduring the grinding operation. Its diameter and position are such that it touches the balls in the raceway F just above their centers.

A bevel-gear g2is secured to the sleeve g. A bevel-gear 0?/ is secured to the driven shaft N, Vwhereby the sleeve g is revolved. This sleeve is provided with tongues g2, which enter grooves g4 in the shaft G, whereby the shaft is compelled to revolve with the sleeve, but is permitted to move vertically therein.

Shoulders g5 and g on the shaft G lie, respecj tively, below and above the ends of the sleeve g, wherefore the vertical movement of said sleeve, whether up or down, correspondingly moves the shaft.A This sleeve is moved up and down by means of a fork-lever R, which isv pivoted to the frame member A2 and is pivoted to said sleeve g.

Trrepresents a cylinderwhich fits and is adapted to slide in the sleeves j" and f 2. This cylinder has a recess in its upper end, the

bottom of which recess is inclined toward the opening t therein, which may be closed by a swinging valve t2. The sleeve and its bottom form a receiver into which the finished balls are discharged. The upper edge of this cylinder while the balls are being ground lies just below the raceway. The cylinder T loosely embraces the sleeve g and rests upon the upper arm a6. A collar t3 surrounds and is vertically movable upon the sleeve g, and this collar is rigidly connected by two arms t4 with cylinder T. A lever X, which is pivoted to the framev member A2, is also pivotally connected with this collar t3, whereby said sleeve may be raised.

U represents a horizontal arm which is pivoted on a vertical pivot u to the side of the frame of the machine. Depending feet u support a ring V, the innerperiphery of which is beveled outward from its lower side. Y

.represents a-plate which is loosely mounted upon a vertical stud u2, which is secured to the arm U, said stud having a flange u2 in its lower end which limits the downward movement of said plate Y. The outer periphery of this plate Y is slightly beveled inward from its lower edge, and when this plate rests upon the flange u2 it, together with the ring Y, forms an annular V-shaped groove. This ring and plate constitute the loader-that is to say, the device whereby the ball-race F may be quickly filled with balls.

The operation of the described mechanism is as follows: When the balls are in the race-way, the shaft G, and consequently the revolver J, is rotated, thereby causing the balls to move around in the raceway. At the same time the eccentrically-set grinder is rotated in contact with the balls. It is evident that the balls will be rotated by these instrumentalities in such manner as `to sooner or later bring all parts of the balls in contact with the grinder, wherefore each ball will be ground into a true spherical form. When this operation has been completed, the slide C, and with it the grinder D, is raised by the action of the lever K. Then the revolver J is raised by the operation of the lever R, and this permits the balls just ground to fall down into the recess in the cylinder T, from which they may be removed through the opening t. The groove formed between the ring V and plate Y is filled with balls, this operation being performed while the first series of balls is being ground. Vhen the grinder has been raised, the arm U is turned upon its pivot until the loader-groove in which the balls have been placed is directly over the raceway F. Then by the operation of the lever X the cylinder T is raised, whereby it becomes temporarily an inner wall to the raceway F. The further upward movement of this cylinder brings it into engagement with the revolver J, which is raised. The revolver engages with and raises the plate Y, thereby allowing the balls in the loader-groove to fall into the race- IOO IIO

609,219 l ggf way F. When the lever X is lowered, all of -these parts reverse their movement and re.-

turn to the position shown in Fig. l in coming into contact with the balls just introduced into said raceway. The sleeve g may be drawn down by a spring t7, which embraces the sleeve g and thrusts against the arm a and anut g on the sleeve g, connecting the bars The slide C is then lowered until the grinder engages with the balls and the operations are repeated.

From the foregoing description it is clear that it is the relative movement vertically of the raceway F and revolver J which causes the release of the finished balls and that it is not essential to the invention, broadly considered, which of these two parts so moves. So it is the relative movement of the raceway and cylinder T which is necessary to close the inner periphery of the raceway, and it is the relative movement of the ring and plate of the loader which is necessary to release the balls from the loader-groove. I do not, therefore, intend to limit the invention to a construction wherein the raceway is vertically immovable except as clearly indicated in the claims.

Having described my invention, I claiml. In a ball-grinding machine, in combination, a non-rotatingcircular raceway open at its inner periphery, a rotating revolver in the form of an inverted frustum of a cone which is inside of and concentric with the said raceway, the periphery of said revolver being adapted to bear upon the balls in the raceway, whereby it moves the balls around said raceway, and prevents their escape therefrom, and a grinder which bears upon the balls in the raceway, substantially as specified.

2. In a ball-grinding machine, in combination, a non-rotating circular raceway open at its inner periphery, a rotating revolver in the form of an inverted frustum of a cone, which is inside of and concentric with the said raceway, the periphery of said revolver being adapted to bear upon the balls in the race way, whereby it moves the balls around said raceway,and prevents their escape therefrom, an eccentric rotary grinder, and mechanism for moving said grinder and revolver upward relative to the raceway, substantially as specified.

3. In a ball-grinding machine, in combination, a circular raceway open on its inner periphery, a revolver in the form of an inverted frustum of a cone, the periphery of which is adapted to bear upon the balls in the raceway, a cylinder concentric with and inside of, but normally below said raceway, a rotary grinder and mechanism for moving the grinder, cylinder and revolver upward relative to the raceway, whereby, iirst, the revolver releases the balls from said raceway, and the cylinder then Aforms a temporary inner periphery for the raceway, substantially as specified.

4:. In a ball-grinding machine, in combination, a raceway open at its inner periphery,

raceway, which revolver is in the form of an inverted frustum of a cone, and is adapted to bear upon the balls in the raceway to hold and move them therein, a hollow cylinder con centric with and inside of said raceway, but normally below the same,which cylinder has a bottom, an eccentric rotary grinder adapted to bear upon the balls in the raceway, mechanism for moving the grinder, revolver and hollow cylinder'upward relative to the raceway, for the purpose of tirst releasing the balls from the raceway, and allowing them to fall in said hollow cylinder, and then to cause said hollow cylinder to temporarily close the inner periphery of the raceway, whereby said raceway may be loaded with balls, substantially as specified. l

5. In a ball-grinding machine, in combination, a circular raceway open on its inner periphery, means for holding the balls in said y raceway and moving them around therein during the grinding operation, a grinder adapted to bear upon the tops of the balls in said raceway, and a cylindrical receiver movable upward relative to said raceway, 4which receiver is inside of and concentric with said raceway and normally below the same, said receiver being adapted to catch the balls which are released from said raceway, and is also adapted to form a temporary inner wall for the raceway when the same is being loaded with balls, substantially as specified.

6. In a ball-grinding machine, in combination, a circular raceway having an outer wall and a slightly-inclined bottom, a revolver, a cylinder inside and below the raceway,` mechanism forraising the said revolver and cylinder relatively to the raceway, and a loader having a circular ball-groove of substantially the same diameter as the raceway and adapted to drop the balls from said groove into the raceway, substantially as specied.

7. ln a ball-grinding machine, in combination, a circular raceway having an outer Wall and a slightly-inclined bottom, a revolver, a

cylinder inside and below theraceway, mechanism for raising the said revolver and cylinder relatively to `the raceway, and `a loader consisting of a ring having a beveled inner periphery, and an inner plate which is movable vertically relatively to said ring, substantially as specitied.

8. In a ball-grinding machine, in combination, a circular raceway, a vertically-movable revolver, a vertically-movable cylinderinside the raceway andbelow it and the revolver, a loader consisting of an outer ring and an inner vertically-movable plate, means for holding the loader over the ballraceway, and mechanism for raising the said cylinder, revolver and inner loader-plate, substantially as specied.

9. In a ball-grinding machine, incombination, a circular raceway, a vertically-mo`vable revolver, a vertically-movable cylinder inside IOO IIO

the raceway and below it and the revolver, a loader consisting of an outer ring and an in- 11er vertically-movable plate, a pivoted arm carrying the loader, and adapted to be swung to bring the loader over the raceway, and mechanism for raising said cylinder, revolver and inner loader-plate,substantially as specified.

10. Inaball-grindingmachine,aloadercon sistin g of a ring having a beveled inner periphery and an inner plate which is movable vertically ralative to said ring, whereby balls in the annular groove formed between said plate and ring may fall out of' the bottom of said groove, substantially as specified.

11. In aball-grinding machine, in combination, a vertically-movable grinder, an annular ball-raceway, a horizontal swinging arm pivoted to the frame of said machine, and a loader carried by said arm consisting of a ring having a beveled inner periphery and an inner plate which is movable vertically relative to said ring, whereby balls in the groove formed between said ring and plate may be permitted to fall out of the bottom of said groove into said raceway, substantially as specilied.

12. In a ball-grinding machine, the combination of a ball-raceway,an eccentric grinder, means for moving the grinder vertically, a horizontal swinging arm ,a loader-rin g secured to said arm, a vertical central stud having a flange on its lower end, and an inner lower plate vertically movable upon said stud, substantially as specified.

13. In a ball-grinding machine, the combination of a vertically-movable grinder, a fixed ball-raceway eccentric thereto, a revolver which is attached to a vertically-movable shaft, a vertically-movable sleeve embracing said shaft, a cylinder within the ball-raceway and below the revolver which loosely embraces said shaft, a collar embracing said sleeve, rigid connection between said cylinder and collar, a swinging horizontal arm, a loader carried thereby consisting of a fixed outer ring having a beveled inner periphery, and a vertically-movable inner plate, and means for raising said collar, whereby the cylinder is raised and caused to form a temporary inner wall for the raceway, the revolver is raised and the inner plate of the loader is raised, whereby balls in the loader-'groo ve fall out of' the bottom of the same into the ball-raceway, substantially as specified.

14. In a ball-grinding machine, a circular raceway, a rotary grinder eccentric thereto, a verticallymovable slide which supports said grinder, a vertically-movable rod, and means for supporting and operating the same, and adjustable connections between said rod and slide, substantially as specified.

15. In a ball-grinding machine, in combination, a circular ball-raceway, a rotary grinder eccentric thereto, a vertically-movable slide which supports the grinder-shaft, a verticallymovable threaded rod, and means for moving and supporting the same, and an adjustingnut which connects said rod and slide, substantially as specified.

16. In aball-grinding machine, in combination, a circular ball-raceway, a rotary grinder eccentric thereto, a vertically-movable slide which supports the grinder-shaft, a verticallymovable threaded rod, an operating-lever, mechanism connecting the same with said threaded rod, a fixed support for the lower end of said rod, and adjustable connections between said rod and slide, substantially as specified. I

17. In a ball-grinding machine, in combination, a circular ball-raceway, a rotary grinder eccentric thereto, a vertically-movable slide which supports the grindershaft,a verticallymovable threaded rod and means for moving the same, and an adjusting-nut which connects said rod and slide, an operating-lever, mechanism connecting the same with said threaded rod, a fixed support for the lower end of said rod, an adjustable worm-nut which connects said threaded rod and slide, and a worm-shaft mounted on the slide for turning said nut, substantially as specified.

18. In aball-grinding machine, in combination, a circular ball-raceway, a rotary grinder eccentric thereto, a vertically-movable slide which supports the grinder-shaft,a verticallymovable threaded rod and means for moving the same, and an adjusting-nut which connects said rod and slide, an operating-lever, mechanism connecting the same with said threaded rod, a fixed support for the lower end of said rod, an adjustable worm-nut which connects said threaded rod and slide, and a worm-shaft mounted on the slide for turning said nut, a graduated hand-Wheel secured to said shaft and a pointer secured to the slide, substantially as specified.

19. In a ball-grinding machine, in combination, a base which supports the ball-raceway, an upper frame member which supports the grinder and is bolted to the base, three adjusting-wedges interposed between the base and upper frame member, and means for operating said wedges, substantially as specied.

20. In a ball-grinding machine, the combination of an endless ball-raceway, and a rotating grinder for grinding the balls therein, said raceway and grinder being capable of relative vertical movement toward and from each other,.with a loader having a groove of the same size and shape as the ball-raceway and adapted to contain balls to be ground, and means for releasing said balls through the bottom of said groove, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

21. 'In a ball-grinding machine, the combination of an endless ball-raceway, and a rotating grinder for grinding balls therein, said raceway and grinder being capable of relative vertical movement toward and from each IOO IIO

IIS

other, with a loader consisting of an inner plaoedtherein, substantially as and for the plate having externally the configuration of purpose speoed. 1o said ball-raoeway, and anouter plate having In testimony whereof I ax my signature a central opening of larger size but of the in presence of two Witnesses.

same shape, whereby a groove is formed be- ROLLIN'H. WHITE. tween said plates of the samesze and shape 'l/Vitnesses: as said ball-raoeway, and means for releasing E. L. THURSTON,

through the bottom of said groove, balls ALBERT H. BATES. 

